Left and Right Brain Photography Together

This is the third of a series of three article dedicated to the processes acting in our brain while we are taking a photo. In the first article, you can find some photos taken mainly by instinct, and in the second one, some examples of photos taken using the rational side of our brain. In this last article, let me present some images taken using the intuitive side of the brain together with the rational side.

In this article, I’m going to show to you some photos that I have taken using both the rational and the intuitive power of my brain. The right side is the creative and instinctive part of our brain, while the left side is dedicated to logical and rational processes. As for my previous two articles, the main reference book to explore this topic in more detail is “Right Brain, Left Brain Photography” by Kathryn Marx. Let’s go with some examples!

1. At first glance, the photo below of four ducks that seem to practice synchronized swimming looks like an photo taken in an instinctive way. However, it was prepared with some care. Walking along the lake, I saw some children that were throwing pieces of bread into the water for the swans and ducks. I chose the right lens, and I carefully measured the exposure, and then I waited patiently. The instinct took place later, in the “decisive moment”, when all four ducks had their heads under water. In that instant I pressed the shutter button.

2. Even in the case of this cute little dog, the idea to take a photo came in my mind instinctively, by empathy with the subject. The rational part of my brain has added an idea: Maybe this dog is thinking: “It’s raining… but this is a strange rain!” Furthermore, the choice of a narrow depth of field to blur a bad background was a rational choice.

3. As you know from my previous articles, I was always instinctively attracted by the smiles, including the smile on this parachute. At the same time, I waited until it has passed between the two umbrellas (a choice of composition thought by the rationality of the left hemisphere).

4. Beach Party at Lomography Gallery Store Milan. The “decisive moment” was caught instinctively, but the choice of the aperture according to the flash guide number (I used an old Russian LC-A which has the option to select manually the lens opening), and also the colour of Colorsplash were chosen rationally.

5. As a great admirer of the photos of Lee Friedlander, who uses light poles, obstacles and trees to divide his compositions in several parts, I rationally decided to sit down in front of this umbrella with my camera. But the instant of shoot was dictated mainly by instinct and creativity. In fact I saw on the left side some young and slender peoples, while on the right side there were more older and more fatter people. Two phases of life in the same photo!

6. I was rationally framing Villa Olmo in Como from below, when suddenly this dog has passed, pulling a retractable lead. Suddenly, my instinct suggested to me the right time to press the shutter button.

7. Here there is an instinctive association of ideas between the fish and the fisheye lens. This idea was combined with the rational choice to ask to the fisherman to don’t move the fishing rod for a moment in order to have enough time to create a balanced composition.

8. When I saw these pretty feet lifted up in the air and kissed by the sun (a wonderful symbol of freedom) and attracted by the smile of the girl (which can be seen partially under her leg), I have not taken the photo immediately, but I made a diagonal composition with the other girl’s face, to illustrate more clearly that this yoga public event took place in company of other people. Furthermore, I placed the girl’s legs on the other diagonal.

10. I had under my eyes this girl in jeans and bare feet! That is, a way of dressing that is 100% “casual”! Now, my instinct told me, “Wow… shoot!” This because I love to dress “casual”— simple, with no frills, and a “soap and water” way of life! But at the same time I have included into the the picture the child who runs into the water for her first swim of the year! Rationally, I wanted to represent both the prudence of the adult and the little girl (the water was still chilly, and the girl took care to not wet her jeans, while the child ran happily towards the sea without worries!).

11. Attracted again instinctively by the smile, as well as by the beauty and talent of this artist, I have chosen deliberately and rationally a right focal length (135mm) and a small aperture to focus both the artist and the expressions of the public. Instinctively, I waited for some smiling faces to get inside the circles.

More Interesting Articles

This article is dedicated to one of the most important masters of photography, Robert Capa. Capa is well known for his photos of war, from the famous image of the Republican Spanish soldier collapsing backwards after being fatally shot to his images taken in Indochina. He was also a co-founder of the famous Magnum Photo Agency, the first cooperative agency for freelance photographers worldwide. For this article, I took advantage of a rare event held in my city, Como, some weeks ago: a military drill for civil protection purposes.

In this article, I'll show you my 2014 in analogue through the letters of the alphabet. All these photos were taken in the streets of my city, Como, or in close proximity (a few kilometers away from it), mainly during public or sporting events, and all in black and white.

This is tribute to the Farm Security Administration photographer, Jack Delano, and his photographic series dedicated to barkers. For this article, I chose a series of photos I took this year at the traditional Easter Fair in my city, Como, using a classic rangefinder camera loaded with a roll of black and white film.

Every year in the beginning of September, a small Italian town situated a few miles from my city of Como hosts an ancient fair dedicated to the Virgin Mary: the Fair of Our Lady of Rogoredo. This series of images fresh from my darkroom was taken using a roll of HP5+ film loaded inside my wonderful Horizon Perfekt.

This article is dedicated to the French street photographer Raymond Depardon and his wonderful series depicting people communicating with mobile phones from all over the world. For this tribute, I compiled my own series of photos of people using their mobile phones or tablets in the city of Como. Take a look!

This article is a tribute to an important street photographer, Edouard Boubat. His pictures are characterized by great poetic touch, strong social sensitivity, and utmost respect for people and places. Inspired by a book which contains Boubat's photos taken in the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea, I pay homage by showcasing some of my photos taken within the same geographic area.

Shop News

Really want to bring your film photos to life? We’re now offering totally analogue fine art prints in a host of large sizes and formats! Carefully enlarged from your negatives onto premium photographic paper by lab professionals, each picture is a unique piece of craftsmanship.

After writing a series of articles dedicated to arguably some of the greatest street photographers, this time I wrote one dedicated to the American abstract expressionist artist Aaron Siskind - a master of immortalizing details of nature, body parts and architecture, as well as walls and objects found in the streets - and his series of photographs of unstuck posters.

This article is dedicated to arguably one of the most famous street photographers in the world, Henri Cartier-Bresson (1908-2004). On this occasion, I felt obliged to write a tribute to this great artist whom I consider the "Mozart of Photography." His photos are inimitable, and to try to reproduce his innate sense of composition, harmony, and choice of the right moment is but an illusion. So I chose an unusual way to pay tribute, the only way possible for me. Take a look!

We are proud to announce that the Lomography shop now stocks Lumi products, which allow you to print your favorite analogue photos and all manner of other fantastic things on fabric using the power of light! In this article, we want to tell you a bit more about Lumi and the way this special printing process works.

Shop News

You want your subject be the center of attention? Petzval lens photos are recognizable for sharpness and crispness in the centre, strong color saturation, wonderful swirly bokeh effect, artful vignettes and narrow depth of field that will make your subjects stand out!

This article is a tribute to the great Italian photographer Ferdinando Scianna, a member of the Magnum Photo Agency, and to his book, "Religious Festival in Sicily," which won the 1966 Nadar Prize. In this article I'll show you a series of photos taken at a religious festival in a small village in the north of Italy, organized by a group of immigrants from the southern region of the country. Take a look!

This article is dedicated to the multifaceted American photographer George Krause and to his series depicting funeral monuments realized between 1962 and 1963. I was able to know about this series thanks to an important essay on photography written by former Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) Director of Photography, John Szarkowski. For this tribute, I loaded my trusty Praktica camera with a roll of Ilford film and took a series of photos in the Monumental Cemetery in my city, Como. Take a look!